We saw Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey all but polishing Trump’s shoes in his attempt to be named the VP on the Republican ticket. We saw Newt Gingrich demonstrating his attack dog skills (loyalty oaths for Muslims, forsooth!) in hopes he’d get the VP nod. Frankly, neither of those things surprised me, considering the principals involved. But Pence and his willingness to absorb the humiliation of Trump’s apparent late night reversal of his offer of the job and his willingness to flat-out lie about Trump — “Donald Trump understands the anxiety and the aspiration of the American people like no leader since Reagan” — during the VP rollout today did give me pause.

Mike Pence’s views about abortion and same-sex marriage and gay rights are abhorrent to me, but I thought he was still a serious public servant. He proved today he is not. He’s a panderer to the Republicans’ latest Man on Horseback. This version isn’t a military man as the classic definition requires, but in this day and age a CEO is probably a more likely choice anyway.